Expert advice on Business Leadership and tips on becoming a more effective Leader.

After every NFL regular season cranks down and the playoff picture begins to become clear, so too does the thermostat crank up underneath those teams on the outside looking in. Rumors run rampant as to Head Coaches and General Managers that might soon be part of the federal government’s monthly unemployment report. And as hot as the names on the “to be fired” list are, there are an equal number of lists beginning to speculate who their replacements will be.

Hot candidates

We tend to think of consequences with respect to the short term—the immediate impact of our performance (positive or negative). That’s the easy part of defining specific consequences. But it still leaves a lot to the
imagination.

We need to help employees see the longer term, the downstream impact of their performances on team results, on the organization, on customers, on shareholders, and ultimately on themselves. When employees see how their actions help or hinder each of their various constituents, the personal consequences of their performances become evident. External performance is ultimately a reflection of internal commitment.

By this time of year, nearly 70% of all we are resolving to change is on the brink of dissolving. Mastering the Art of Adherence can make a difference for you this year. World-class leaders and organizations use this time-tested, real-world validated formula for winning:

When you consistently sharpen Focus, build Competence and ignite Passion, you plant the seeds of victory. Initially, you may not see tangible results, but rest assured growth is occurring under the surface. As you stick with it, momentum builds, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of victory.

‘Believe with all your heart that you are on this earth to make a difference and you will begin to create a life filled with color, clarity, warmth and passion’

It’s no secret that the global business landscape is changing almost daily as the various world economies bring a great deal of pressure to bear on companies struggling to remain ahead of the pack. In the current commercial climate, so many business houses are trying to stay afloat. They’re constantly looking for better and the most cost effective ways to conduct business. There can be a great deal of stress and angst as more money flows like a tide out of the company than comes in.

Over the past few years, we have seen the demise of many of the previously viewed “pillars of society” – politics, the church, media …all failing to provide positive leadership in these challenging times.

Accepting this, people need to wrestle back control of their destinies, take responsibility for where they are at today, and lead by example. Is there any other viable alternative?

Here are four actions that can have a huge impact on outcomes:

1. Dare to dream again!

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “Winning is not a sometimes thing, it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” To produce the best results in your business or organization requires knowing what it takes to win. Great business leaders have adapted proven skills and habits into their everyday life.

Below are 3 areas that will help you increase your winning percentage:

Leadership

One of my favorite definitions of a leader is that of Joel Barker: a leader is a person who takes you to a place that you didn’t know you wanted to go.

This implies two essential roles of the leader. The first is identifying that place that you didn’t know you wanted to go. Before JFK announced the goal, most of us didn’t know that we wanted to land a man on the moon; before Steve Jobs announced the iPad, most of us didn’t know that we couldn’t live without it.

How many research hours have gone into looking at what it takes to succeed in business? The research that has been done time and time again is overwhelming. Countless books, articles and research has been done over the centuries looking for the key ingredient in business success. Trying to sift through all of the noise and find something practical and applicable to your situation can be more than a little frustrating. When things aren’t going your way in business, where do you turn for help?

“To lead people, walk beside them … As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate … When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’” – Lao-tsu

I posed the question on my Facebook Page a few weeks ago: “What do you believe is your biggest obstacle to giving or receiving customer service?”. The overwhelming response had to do with a “lack of training” of the service associate. I wish this were truly the case; it would be easier to fix than the REAL problem.

Being great at customer service and learning to exceed the customers’ expectations is something that so many employees are told to do, but very few ever achieve it.

First, you have to want that as your chosen goal and not have it thrust upon you by someone else. One of your empowering set of beliefs could be that no one can “make you” do anything. If you truly believe that outside forces control your life, then you are a victim and this article will never help you. Matter of fact, I will venture to say that there isn’t any article or book that can help you, so save yourself the reading time.